Thinking through the Photo Essay: Observations for Medical Anthropology

As photography becomes more prevalent in ethnographic research, scholars should more seriously consider the photo essay as a medium for sharing their work. In this Position Piece, we present guidelines for the creation of ethnographic photo essays for medical anthropology that do not simply combine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMedicine Anthropology Theory Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1 - 13
Main Authors Crowder, Jerome W., Cartwright, Elizabeth
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published University of Edinburgh Library 14.04.2021
Subjects
multimodality
photo essay
visual anthropology
visual argument
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Summary:As photography becomes more prevalent in ethnographic research, scholars should more seriously consider the photo essay as a medium for sharing their work. In this Position Piece, we present guidelines for the creation of ethnographic photo essays for medical anthropology that do not simply combine image and text, but create a balance that allows words to provide context for the image(s) and images to reinforce or challenge the text. We feel there are three basic elements every photo essay must consider that are informed by the theory and practice of visual anthropology. While a solid background in visual anthropology is not necessary to produce a successful photo essay, being mindful of these three elements in relation to your work will help you develop a photo essay that combines the best of what both media offer your audience.
ISSN:2405-691X
2405-691X
DOI:10.17157/mat.8.1.5110